Let's stop this liberty stuff before it gets out of hand

by Groff Schroeder

“Liberty” is a political concept describing acting with free will.  Although America’s foundations appear associated with the establishment and defense of liberty (not capitalism, campaign donations, corporate power, free markets etc.), some Americans look down upon - and even villainize “liberals” – while claiming to support liberty itself.  It is one thing to defend, earn, maintain, enjoy or exercise liberties, and quite another thing to take liberties with facts, political systems, the rule of law or other crucial foundations of freedom and democracy. 

Apparently unaware of our common bond as American citizens, so-called “conservative” broadcasters, corporations, lobbyists, and politicians appear to support the liberty to attack those not sharing their “right wing” ideals.  Employing “wedge” issues, they appear bent upon dividing American citizens against themselves, often in the context of surprising detachment from demonstrable reality.  Widespread, one-sided, anti-“liberal” “free speech” (commonly broadcast by “Rush” Limbaugh, so-called “hate radio” and “conservative” television such as Fox “News” Channel’s “Glenn Beck”) appears to continually “spin” news, incorrectly report facts, intentionally avoid inconvenient facts, ignore moral responsibilities, evade legal responsibilities - and even broadcast rhetoric against their fellow citizens historically associated with incitement to violence. 

Similarly, conservative religious institutions also appear to exercise numerous rather dubious liberties in pursuit of church political goals or institutional autonomy.  At times appearing obsessed with sex, politically active religious leaders routinely ignore inconvenient medical facts including the ineffectiveness of “abstinence” based sex education, the existence of spontaneous abortion, the medical need for legal abortion in emergency obstetrics (ectopic pregnancy etc.), and the reality that most embryos “rescued” from stem cell experiments die in trash cans after being discarded. 

Despite one major church’s serious problems with celibacy and becoming legendary for an apparently continuing pattern of international, intergenerational facilitation and cover-up of the sexual abuse of children, powerful religious conservatives continue to insist that their religious liberty exists only when all Americans abide by conservative religious beliefs.  The exercise of political “liberty” by religious conservatives (including ethical and unethical means such as lobbying and serial assassination) has successfully forced many American citizens to surrender not only the freedom to exercise their own moral (and religious) liberty – but also the freedom to control their most intimate reproductive and interpersonal functions.  It seems the folks who want government “off our backs” will do anything to move it into our pants. 

It is easy to believe we know what is best, easy to blame others for problems, easy to ignore our own failings and easy to forget that we are all American Citizens with common rights and responsibilities symbolized by the national motto, E Pluribus Unum (from many one).  Although we face many problems, our nation remains strong and it appears the only way to defeat America is to destroy it from within.  Sadly, revoking personal freedoms though raw political force, “wedge” issues, labels and the divisive inflammatory rhetoric flooding America’s newspapers, radios and televisions appears to turn our neighbors into our enemies and divide America against herself. 

History shows that America and her People can overcome virtually any hazard.  Unfortunately, learning to cooperate in service to the common good, sharing our dwindling resources fairly, recognizing our shared citizenship and abandoning the labels that turn our fellow citizens into our enemies may be the most challenging issues America has ever faced. 

By Groff Schroeder

April 22, 2010

Original version

April 19, 2010

Let’s stop this liberty stuff before it gets out of hand

“Liberty” is a political concept describing acting with free will.  Although America’s foundations appear associated with the establishment and defense of liberty (not capitalism, campaign donations, corporate power, free markets etc.), many Americans today look down upon, and even villainize “liberals” – even as they claim to support liberty itself.  It is one thing to earn, maintain or enjoy liberties – and quite another thing to take liberties with facts or other crucial foundations of freedom and democracy. 

Sadly, widespread distribution of one-sided anti-“liberal” rhetoric by so-called “hate radio” and television programs (e.g. the Fox “News” Channel’s Glenn Beck program) appear bent upon dividing American citizens against themselves, often in the context of surprising detachment from the facts.  In many cases, it appears as if American corporations, opinion makers and their followers alike take improper liberties – intentionally avoiding facts incongruent with their point of view, evading legal responsibilities, or employing rhetoric historically associated with the incitement of violence. 

For example, opponents of abortion sometimes appear to avoid learning inconvenient medical information – such as the fact that about 50% of abortions are “spontaneous” – even as they brand “abortionists” as “murderers.”  Without such important facts, they insist that their liberty exists only when everyone complies with their beliefs – forcing other citizens to surrender not only the freedom to exercise their own moral (and religious) liberty – but also the freedom to control their most intimate bodily functions.  Ironically, it seems folks who want government “off our backs” seek to move it into our pants.  

Not just humans appear to feel that their “liberty” to do what is good for them trumps the liberties of others.  Recently, a corporation (whose CEO called safety violations “…a normal part of the mining process”) refused to pay fines and clogged the mine safety regulatory system with appeals.  No one seemed to care until an explosion in one of the mines took not only the liberties, but also the lives of 29 miners.  Paradoxically, many representatives and the Supreme Court insist that “campaign donations” (even from those with conflicts of interest including corporations, foreign governments and unions) are corporate liberties of “free speech.” 

There is more to being free than having liberty and more to having liberty than being free - with liberty and freedom come responsibility.  Not enough of us appear willing to shoulder the responsibilities associated with defending, maintaining, protecting, and using our freedoms in a nation where inflammatory rhetoric, “campaign donations” and corporate power seem more important to our courts, press, and representatives than the basic ideals of human freedom. 

Since America’s founders created a democracy with regular elections, citizens need not turn to violence in order to protect their freedoms or their nation.  Perhaps the most pressing problem is for all citizens to focus upon the identification of facts.  Considering numerous points of view and accessing multiple, opposing sources of information can help identify verifiable facts.  A simple polite phone call can remind representatives that liberty and freedom correctly belongs to citizens, not corporations.  Perhaps the most important thing we citizens can do is to vote for candidates who place the interests of the People (for whom liberty was ostensibly won) over the interests of The people (corporations, etc.) who currently take liberties because they have the power and ability to do so.